Defence Select Committee

Lord Drayson: My right honourable friend the Minister of State for the Armed Forces (Adam Ingram) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
	The Government have today published by Command Paper their responses to the Defence Committee's reports on duty of care and the Armed Forces Bill. Copies of both responses have been placed in the Library of the House. We take responsibilities for recruits extremely seriously and have carefully considered the committee's recommendations, together with those of the Adult Learning Inspectorate in its report Safer Training, which identified a number of common themes.
	Our priority is to deliver cultural change in the training organisation and create a regime that values trainees as individuals where responsibility for their welfare is accepted at all levels. We have committed ourselves to a longer-term partnership with the ALI, which will continue to undertake inspections of our training establishments. The results of those inspections will assist us in ensuring a process of continuous improvement. We have also recently signed an agreement with the Equal Opportunities Commission setting out a range of measures to prevent and deal with sexual harassment in the Armed Forces, which will be monitored by the commission.
	A comprehensive redress procedure already exists whereby complaints can be taken higher up the chain of command, and support is available from outside the chain of command for those who need it. I accept, however, that there is a case for introducing an independent element to the complaints system. We are considering that further ahead of the introduction of the Armed Forces Bill planned for later this year and will bring forward proposals at that time.
	The committee recommended that we consider raising the recruiting age for all three services to 18. However, the services need to attract those under-18 to compete effectively in an increasingly competitive employment market and any move to increase the minimum recruiting age would have an acute impact on the services' ability to meet their recruiting targets and hence operational commitments. By recruiting from this age group, the services provide valuable and constructive training and employment to many young people.
	The Government welcome the committee's report on the forthcoming Armed Forces Bill as part of an ongoing process of pre-legislative scrutiny. The Bill is due to be introduced towards the end of the year. The Government's response to the committee's specific recommendations must be seen against the background of the requirement for a separate system of service law that is fair, consistent and expeditious. We believe such a system is vital to the operational effectiveness of the Armed Forces and particularly welcome the committee's acknowledgement of that point in its report.

Employment Tribunals Service: Performance Targets 2004–05

Lord Sainsbury of Turville: My honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Employment Relations, Competition and Consumers (Gerry Sutcliffe) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
	The Employment Tribunals Service has published its annual report and accounts for 2004–05 today. Copies have been laid before Parliament and will be placed on the ETS website at www.ets.gov.uk.
	In 2004–05, the Employment Tribunals Service met and exceeded the following targets:
	Quality
	75 per cent of single employment tribunal cases to a first hearing within 26 weeks of receipt;
	Minimum to be achieved by all offices in relation to the above target: 65 per cent;
	85 per cent of employment tribunal decisions issued within four weeks of the final hearing;
	85 per cent of employment tribunal users satisfied with the service offered by ETS;
	75 per cent of appeals to ETA to a first hearing within 26 weeks of receipt.
	Efficiency
	A 3 per cent real terms reduction in employment tribunal administrative unit costs.
	In addition to these key targets, the ETS will also meet the following targets:
	Finance
	Pay 100 per cent of invoices within 30 days of receipt of goods or services or a valid invoice, whichever is later.
	Questions Delegated to the Chief Executive
	Reply within 10 working days to all letters from Members of Parliament delegated for the chief executive's reply.

EU Presidency: Economic and Financial Affairs Council

Lord McKenzie of Luton: My right honourable friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
	I will chair the first Economic and Financial Affairs Council (ECOFIN) of the UK presidency on 12 July 2005. Items on the agenda are:
	the UK work programme of the ECOFIN Council, which outlines the UK Government's priorities for ECOFIN over the UK presidency, including provisional ECOFIN agendas, and as part of which Ministers will discuss the full and rapid implementation of the EU action plan against terrorism. Copies of the work programme have been placed in the Libraries of the House;
	financing for development, where Ministers continue to discuss how best to deliver the resources necessary to meet the millennium development goals, ahead of the September UN summit;
	economic regeneration of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, where the council will consider options for EU support at an historic time for the Middle East peace process;
	EC budget: road map to an integrated control framework, where Commissioner Kallas will present his plans on financial management of the EC budget; and
	implementation of the stability and growth pact, where the council will consider an opinion on the stability programme of Portugal. ECOFIN will then discuss a council decision under Article 104(7) on the excessive deficit procedure for Italy.
	I will also address the Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee of the European Parliament.

Human Tissue Act 2004

Lord Warner: My honourable friend the Minister of State (Rosie Winterton) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
	A consultation document for regulations to be made under the Human Tissue Act 2004 has been published today. Copies of the consultation document have been placed in the Library and on the department's website at www.dh.gov.uk/Consultations/LiveConsultations/fs/en.

Legal Services Ombudsman and Legal Services Complaints Commissioner: Annual Reports 2004–05

Baroness Ashton of Upholland: The following Statement has been made in the other place by my honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Bridget Prentice.
	Yesterday, the Legal Services Ombudsman laid the 14th annual report, and copies have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
	Yesterday, the Legal Services Complaints Commissioner laid the first annual report, and copies have been placed the Libraries of both Houses.